Field
The present disclosure relates to an apparatus for aligning connectors, and more particularly for aligning connectors of two bodies together for accurate engagement.
Description of Related Art
Portable consumer electronic devices are becoming more popular and prevalent in use. For example, portable action video cameras are very popular with active athletes and are routinely used to capture sporting activities. These portable video cameras are compact and can be mounted in various places such as helmets, drones, skis, snowboards, surfboards, bikes, etc. Because of the compact size of such cameras, the battery size is often smaller which leads to shorter duration of the battery charge and shorter usage times. One solution is to carry extra battery packs. However, most available battery packs are difficult to install because the power connecting mechanisms are poorly designed and hard to connect during installation.
Another popular accessory for portable cameras is a wireless module that enables the electronic device to wirelessly communicate using a WLAN, Bluetooth, cellular or other type of wireless protocol. For example, the wireless module enables the electronic device to wirelessly communicate files to a central server or other device. However, again the wireless module is often difficult to install due to poorly designed data connecting mechanisms. For example, the data connecting mechanism may include an input/output (I/O) port, such as a 30 pin connector port, a USB port, an HDMI port, etc. The I/O port must be aligned while installing the wireless module. This alignment may be difficult especially when the wireless module or battery module is rotatably connected to the electronic device. A similar issue exists for most accessory modules, wherein the connecting mechanism for the I/O interface is poorly designed and as such is hard to install and use.
Moreover, this problem exists with other electronic devices besides portable video cameras. For example, it is often difficult to install or detach accessories or battery modules for laptops, smart tablets, etc.
Accordingly, what is needed is an improved mechanism that allows for easier installation and improved connectivity of battery modules and accessories to electronic devices, such as cameras, laptops, smart tablets, etc.